News

In the first reading of the Christmas Mass we hear proclaimed the prophecy of Isaiah:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light

has shone.(Is 9:2)

This prophecy was fulfilled with the birth of Jesus, the Christ, and hopefully, it is “fulfilled” in the hearts of each one of us, both in our celebrating of the Lord’s birth, and in our daily living of the Good News of the Incarnation of Our Lord.

The Canadian Biblical Association of Canada (CBAC) has one of the best, most interactive websites available for anyone interested in the Holy Scriptures. Accessible to all ages, this website is constantly updated, and provides an incredibly rich variety of resources for anyone with the desire to enrich one’s life with the Word of God.

The Introductory Rites of the Eucharistic liturgy draw us into the Mass. The Sign of the Cross, marked on our bodies, identifies us as disciples who were baptised into the Triune God: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

This weekend we begin a new liturgical year, and we begin to use the new English translation of the Roman Missal. This new English translation of the Roman Missal is a more literal translation of the original Latin and presents the prayers of the Mass in rich, beautifully crafted prose.

The Diocese recently had the joyous occasion of the 25th anniversary of a Priestly Ordination. Fr. Devas Vargees is the Parish Priest of Sacred Heart parish, in Conche. This beautiful community is located on the Eastern coast of Newfoundland’s majestic Great Northern Peninsula. We are especially happy to congratulate him at this time.

Father Peddle, now celebrating his fiftieth anniversary of Ordination, is a native of Tilton, in Conception Bay. A man who has cared for many Parishes and souls, he is another model of faithful service in Christ’s holy Church.

Sr. Paula Delahunty, PBVM, made the move into her sixth decade of professed religious life. Sr. Paula comments that there was something special to her heart in every place. It has always been the people of the communities who touched her soul.

Eucharistic Prayer II proclaims that the Lord is holy and “the fount of all holiness,” a marvellous image of God’s overflowing love, goodness, and truth. God freely pours out holiness on all who seek it. Through our participation in the liturgy, we can grow in that holiness to which the Triune God calls us. We, too, must become fountains of holiness, sharing compassion, goodness, and truth in our daily lives. To paraphrase Saint Augustine, we are to become what we pray. When we come to the celebration of the liturgy with hearts and minds open to God’s will for us, our faith is strengthened, our souls are nourished, and we are transformed, sent forth to serve our neighbour and to grow in unity with one another and with the Lord. In this way, the liturgy shapes our very lives. The rich texts, symbols, music, space, environment, and gestures communicate God’s call to us to become what God intends: His holy people.